


If it Should Fall

by invisible_nobody



Category: RWBY
Genre: "major character death", (sort of), -help i need more tags-, Angst, F/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, and maybe more ships?, do i have to mark this fic with, i'll add more characters as they become more prevalent, if the death happened on the show, pre-v4 makes ships Difficult
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-01
Updated: 2020-03-08
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:27:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22978378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/invisible_nobody/pseuds/invisible_nobody
Summary: She should be dead.Pyrrha doesn't know how she's woken up again after being disintegrated. She doesn't know how Beacon Tower is perfectly fine. She doesn't know how everyone could simply forget about what happened.Until she's told about time anomalies.She's advised to stay put, that it's dangerous to mess with time. Professor Ozpin is smart, so trying to help probably is too big of a risk - but is doing the correct thing the same as doing what's right?
Relationships: Jaune Arc/Pyrrha Nikos
Comments: 15
Kudos: 14





	1. Prologue

She could feel it, the fire in her veins.

She tried to speak, tried to scream, but the searing pain in her chest rendered her unable to do anything but stare. She couldn’t hear, she couldn’t think, she couldn’t feel Cinder’s hand on her. All she could focus on was the pain - and the sorrow.

This was it, she knew, the end.

But it wasn’t dying that scared her the most, no, she was prepared for that - expected it even. Instead, it was because the world was crashing down around her and she had failed to stop it. Her friends, her teammates, would be next. That was a notion that she just couldn’t handle.

Being burnt from the inside out, that’s what it felt like. The top of her head was buzzing with pain - until it wasn’t. Not being able to feel her head was worse, much worse. In reality, the disintegration only took a few seconds, but it felt like a lifetime before it was over. Her sight, her hearing, her touch, her entire body was gone and all that was left was a few extra seconds of consciousness, somewhere else.

Pyrrha could only hope that her teammates were strong enough to take on a Maiden.

_They must be._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little over five years of writing fics, and I finally made my way to RWBY.
> 
> I've been in a Pyrrha Nikos Sad Hours mood for a few weeks now, and then this happened. How I managed to get this started before my STRQ fic, I will never know.
> 
> Chapter 1 will be up in a few minutes and, as of right now, I don't have an upload schedule. Once I figure one out (if I can), I'll let you guys know :)


	2. Something Isn't Right

The sound of the alarm clock jutted her awake.

Where was she? What day of the week was it?

“Rise and shine, sleepyheads!” Nora.

“Yeah. Okay. Soon.” Ren.

“Grhmph.” The alarm clock shut off with a _smack_.

_Jaune_.

Pyrrha opened her eyes and slowly sat up. Their dorm room. Beacon Academy. She had classes today. Setting her feet on the floor, she blinked her eyes a few more times in an attempt to rid them of sleep. She stood up and stretched. “I have never woken up more stiff in my life than I am this morning.”

“Must have been a good night’s sleep then,” Ren said, finally beginning to sit up.

“Wish I could say the same.” Jaune complained, “All I got to do last night was listen to the music coming from Nora’s headphones.”

Nora looked up from where she as digging through her clothes and flicked a rubberband that nailed Jaune square in the forehead. “You’re welcome!”

Pyrrha laughed as she began to change out of her pajamas. But even as she enjoyed herself, something deep in her gut felt anxious. Something felt _wrong_ . She brushed it off, _It was probably just a nightmare_.

“Pyrrha?” She looked over to where Jaune sat on the floor at the foot of his bed, putting socks on. “Is everything okay? You looked stressed.”

The world flickered and she saw Jaune, trapped, inside a locker and eyes pleading for _something_. Her breath hitched.

“Pyrrha?” He repeated, louder, urgent. As quickly as the room had changed, it reverted back. Jaune was standing up now, in front of her, a hand on her shoulder. 

“Maybe you should lie back down,” Ren suggested. Pyrrha turned to face him and Nora, who had also stopped getting ready in lieu of providing more worried looks in her direction.

Nora nodded, taking tentative steps toward her. “Yeah, you look really pale.”

“I-I’m fine,” she stated, with as much confidence as she could muster. “I think I just need to eat something. Let’s get ready for breakfast.”

She turned out of Jaune’s grasp and continued to get dressed. Her teammates looked like they wanted to protest, but said nothing more as they got ready.

_Everything is fine,_ she reminded herself, _everything is fine._

* * *

The strange incident in their room vanished from Pyrrha’s mind after her first couple of classes. Concentrating on the lectures and hanging out with her friends was almost distraction enough to brush the incident away completely.

Unfortunately, her teammates did not forget so easily.

She didn’t notice how they were looking at her until after the others did. She had a mouthful of green beans when Blake spoke up, “Did… something happen?”

Quickly (and a little painfully), she swallowed and looked up. “What do you mean?”

Yang shrugged, “I don’t know. You guys just seem worried,” then, she chuckled, “Plus, I don’t think I’ve ever heard Nora be quiet for this long.”

Nora opened her mouth to defend herself until Jaune slapped a hand over it. “You make a valid point.”

“Everything is fine,” Pyrrha tried to reassure them, “there’s no need to worry.”

“If it’s about that essay for Port’s class, then I completely understand the weight of the issue,” Weiss added, pushing her food around her plate.

Yang’s palm connected with her forehead. “Since when have you ever seen all four of them this freaked over the same homework assignment?”

“You don’t have to tell us,” Ruby’s expression was solemn, then she smiled, “but know that you can come to us if you ever need to.”

And suddenly her smile was gone. Pyrrha looked up at the back of her head from where she was kneeling. The sword that Ruby held in her hand was not her own. Her words - they sounded so _angry_.

_“Leave her alone!”_

“Hey!”

She gasped for breath, startled. She was eating lunch at Beacon, not Amity Arena. Right. A few seconds passed before she noticed the death grip that Nora had on her shoulders. She looked scared.

“What just happened?” Blake spoke up first. 

“Not again,” Jaune mumbled. He stood, removing Nora’s hands, and reached around Pyrrha's shoulders to help her up. “Stand up slowly, and let’s go lie down, alright?”

_Something isn’t right._

_Everything is fine._

She tried to shrug him off, to no avail. “I’m fine. I just-”

“If you aren’t feeling well, you won’t be able to perform at your best - in training, or in class.” Ren interrupted, not bothering to jump to his feet like the rest of his team.

Ruby gasped, “What if she’s sick?”

“I don’t want to catch it!” Weiss exclaimed, scooting away from the group and accidentally bumping into the boy on her other side. She apologized.

“C’mon, let’s get you out of here before the entire school gets sick, just in case,” Jaune prodded, pulling on her a bit to try and coax her into rising.

Nora nodded, her deep frown instantly flipping into an enormous grin. “Yeah! We got to get you feeling better before the tournament!”

_Tournament._

_Something isn’t right._

They were all sitting around a booth. Nora’s smile was the same as she chattered on about something Pyrrha couldn’t hear. She gestured to Jaune. He looked sick.

_Everything is fine._

Beacon Academy. Heart pounding, room spinning. “I… I-I think you might be right. I may need to lie down for a bit.”

“I’m starting to think walking might not be a good idea,” Ren said, now standing. “Let one of us carry you, or at least let us go get a professor.”

“No, no, it’s-”

“Is everything alright in here?”

Pyrrha looked up to meet eyes with Professor Ozpin.

_Something isn’t right._

She could see everything that was happening, but she couldn’t get out. No matter how hard she hit the pod, it wouldn’t open. She watched as Jaune charged forward, and then was thrown back. She blinked and she was out, Ozpin holding her back from attacking. His mouth moved, but he had no voice. Then, Pyrrha heard herself speak.

_“But, I can help.”_

She slipped into the blackness.

…

_Everything is fine._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the worst part of writing this was reliving the end of v3 while also being reminded that these guys used to actually be kids


	3. To Remember a Tragedy

Humming.

That was the first thing she heard. Somebody was softly humming to themselves. Pyrrha felt a pull in her brain - mental, not physical - and worked her eyes open. She was in her bed, but why? What had happened? She moved to sit up and was startled when she was gently pushed back down.

“Take it slow. We don’t want you passing right back out.” Ren. She hadn’t even noticed him sitting, reading, in a chair next to her bed.

Pyrrha nodded. “How… how long was I out for? What happened?”

“We don’t really know,” Ren explained, “You looked sickly and you just collapsed. You’ve been gone for a little over a day.”

“A day…” she repeated. She tried to sit up again, slowly, with Ren’s help. “Where are the others?”

He sat up her pillow and leaned her against the headboard. “They’re in class. We’ve been rotating who stayed with you, in case you woke up, so not all three of us would miss everything.”

“That’s clever.”

He smiled in mild amusement. “Yeah, but you know how stubborn Nora and Jaune can be. I practically had to fight them both to sell them on the idea.”

Her stomach dropped. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to worry anyone-”

“It’s fine,” he said, smiling, “Though, next time, just be honest with us when you aren’t feeling well.”

_ But I’m not sick. _

“Yes. Alright.”

“So, what did happen?” Ren asked, breaking the silence almost before it started. 

She sat, contemplating her answer. How was she supposed to explain what was happening to her when she, herself, didn’t even know. It was strange, and it scared her, whatever it was. 

Maybe she shouldn’t tell him.

“I’m not sure. I might’ve just been a little tired.” It was a bad lie, she knew, and she could tell by the look on her teammate’s face that he did too. He didn’t point it out, however. He just nodded and walked over to get his schoolwork together. “Are you heading to class?”

He glanced over at her briefly after she spoke and then resumed what he was doing. “Yes. Jaune has the next shift. Try to get some rest.”

“Yes.”

By the time Jaune arrived in the room, she was already busy pretending to be asleep.

* * *

_ A woman. She was fighting a woman. _

_ Pyrrha was behind her, a sword to the woman’s throat. _

_ Cinder. That was her name. Cinder. _

_ An ear-splitting shriek. A Grimm - a Grimm that was flying right towards them. _

_ Her heartbeat, heartbeat, heartbeat was loud her ears. _

_ Cinder broke her sword. The Grimm crashed headfirst into the tower. _

She woke up, abruptly, sweating. She sat up and removed her blankets in an attempt to cool herself down. She sniffled. Had she been crying?

A quick survey of the room proved that she hadn’t been out long. The lights were still on, and nobody else was present, other than Jaune, who now sat on his bed with his jaw hanging open. 

“Hey,” she greeted, weakly.

Completely forgetting about whatever it was he had been working on, Jaune burst up off of the bed and rushed over to her. His questions bombarded her faster than she could process them.

“What happened? Are you okay? You were out for a long time, we started getting really worried. Do you feel any better? Ren told me you were awake but then when I got back you weren’t so I figured it was just a prank but…” he paused, “you are awake.”

Pyrrha nodded, not fully willing to listen even if she could. She was still half stuck in her nightmare. That woman, those weird flashes that felt like she was seeing things - in her gut, she felt their connection. But what was it?

“Pyrrha?” he asked, “Are you there? Pyrrha?”

She nodded again. “Uh-huh.”

Maybe it was some sort of premonition? Something very bad might be about to happen, something tragic and violent, and she’s being warned about it. Does a thing like that even exist? Maybe it was based on something she saw in a movie once; it could be that her brain was putting together pieces that didn’t necessarily belong together.

Maybe it was just her imagination.

“Hey,” he placed a hand on her arm, “are you sure? Is there anything I can do to help?”

_ It’s Jaune. _

“Have you ever had a dream that felt like more than just a dream?” she admitted, hoping that he wouldn’t think she was crazy.

He blinked a couple of times, clearly caught off-guard by the question. “Well… I guess it depends on what you mean.”

She exhaled and began searching for a way to describe what was happening, to describe that gut feeling. “Like… that it’s important. As if it has more meaning than some temporary entertainment produced by your subconscious.”

He scratched his head. “Like a psychic vision or something?”

It didn’t settle right. That wasn’t it. “Sort of.”

“Or the opposite of that?” he continued as if she hadn’t spoken, “Like a memory?”

Memory.

_ “What is your favorite fairy tale?” _

She felt nauseous as anxiety clawed its way into her chest. She fought off the dizziness as she stood up, her breathing heavy and thick. She had to get somewhere. Where did she have to get to? 

Jaune stood up as well, concerned. “What? What is it?”

“I…” There was something. Something was happening.

Something had happened.

Her breath hitched and her eyes filled up with tears once again. They were memories, and something terrible had occurred. It sounded crazy. There was no possible way. But, somehow, she had never felt more sure of anything in her life.

_ “What is your favorite fairy tale” _

Pyrrha swallowed thickly, desperately trying to maintain control of her digestive system as memories suddenly flooded her senses. 

They flew through her brain, one over top of the next, overlapping and playing simultaneously. She choked out a sob and put her hands over her ears, shaking her head, willing them to stop. They didn’t.

The tournament. The Maidens.  _ Beacon Tower has a basement _ .

Penny. Amber.  _ Professor Ozpin. _

She remembered it all.

_ “What is your favorite fairy tale?” _

She rushed over to the bathroom as her stomach lurched and she had no choice but to bend over the toilet. She vomited, vaguely aware of Jaune’s footsteps following behind her.

Her gut was wrong before. It’s not that something isn’t right -  _ nothing _ is right.

These memories were real, they had to be. Nothing so painfully clawed it’s way to the surface if it wasn’t real, and that means that everything is  _ wrong _ . All of the destruction that she was told may come to pass had, in fact, came. Yet it seemed that nobody else remembers.  _ Nobody remembers. _

She felt a hand rubbing circles on her back. “It’s okay. Better to get it out of your system than to have it sit in there.”

Jaune. She threw him against a wall. She sent him away from Beacon, wouldn’t let him help.

_ Nobody remembers. _

Pyrrha pulled away and stood up, pushing down the toilet handle on the way. “Stop.”

He frowned, confusion and worry etched deep into his expression. “I’m… sorry. I’ll back off. How else can I help?”

“No, no that’s not what I meant, I-” she couldn’t find the words, “please, just-”

“I can give you some time by yourself if that’s what you’d like,” he suggested as if he could read her mind, “Just… promise me that you’ll lie back down while I’m gone.”

She nodded, gulping. She hated lying to Jaune. “Yes, I promise.”

He smiled weakly and walked toward the door, hands in his pockets. “Feel better. Rest well.”

And then he left. 

Pyrrha wanted nothing more than to sit back down on the bathroom floor and cry, but that wasn’t going to get her anywhere. She wiped her face with the backs of her hands and strode out of the room with a confidence that she did not feel.

_ “What is your favorite fairy tale?” _

* * *

Trying to walk through the halls with confidence while also trying to hide the fact that she might pass out (or throw up again) at any moment proved to be quite the impressive balancing act. 

Pyrrha was long since used to getting stared at everywhere she went, her celebrity didn’t give her much of a choice. But looks of jealousy or adoration were much different than the looks of concern or pity from her peers. It had been over a day, Ren had informed her, so everyone must have heard about the incident in the cafeteria by now.

Pyrrha Nikos, the invincible girl, passed out while eating breakfast.

Luckily for her, always being under scrutiny blessed her with the ability to smile or keep a straight face while in public, no matter what she was feeling. Right now, she went with the latter. She channeled her frustration and tried to morph it into determination.

How well it worked, she had no clue.

She paused outside the door. All she had to do was knock, but her arms suddenly felt like they weighed a million pounds. This was the only place she could think of to go to for answers. He  _ had _ to have them, if her memories were to be believed. But if he didn’t…

Knocking was putting her under a lot of pressure.

Luckily, she didn’t end up having to. Just as she found the courage to begin raising her fist, the door opened.

“Miss Nikos,” Professor Ozpin said, smiling, “what a pleasant surprise.”

“H-Hello, sir,” she yanked the words from her somewhere deep in her chest, “May I speak with you for a moment if you aren’t too busy?”

He chuckled. “Well, of course. I always have time for students. Come on in.”

“Thank you,” she said, finally returning his smile. She walked past him into the large office. As he walked in behind her, she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. She was here, now what was she going to say? Ozpin sat down in the chair behind his desk. He looked so relaxed.

Her stomach did another somersault. She took deep breaths in an attempt to keep control of herself. She looked anywhere except at him, she couldn’t make eye contact again.

_ Cinder had killed him. Cinder had  _ killed _ him. _

“So,” he spoke, “what is it that you wanted to talk about? Not a problem with another student, I hope?”

She shook her head. “No, no. Nothing like that.”

Silence.

Deep breath.

“You once asked me what my favorite fairy tale was,” she began, and his expression widened, smile disappearing, “and… I guess I’m wondering how many you know”

He cleared his throat and then the smile was back on his face. He laughed, lightly. “You must excuse me, Miss Nikos, but I believe you must be mistaken. I don’t think-”

She didn’t hear anything he said after that.

He didn’t remember either. And if he didn’t remember, then maybe she really was losing her mind.

“No, I’m not crazy,” she stated, probably interrupting him, “I know what I remember.”

He quirked an eyebrow. “And what is it, exactly, that you know you remember?”

“All of it,” she began, then realized it was unhelpful and rephrased, “I remember the story that you told me about the Maidens, and about Amber. I remember being shown what goes on in Beacon Tower’s basement. I remember that none of it ended well.”

He nodded, chin leaning on his joined hands, seemingly deep in thought. The only sound in the room was the excruciatingly loud sound of her own heartbeat. When he spoke again, it was slow and thoughtful. “If that is true, Miss Nikos, then I believe we have much to discuss.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what's your favorite fairytale?


End file.
